Beaches
by rogueandkurt
Summary: Reid has something he needs to do. Oneshot. ReidCentric with some Emily.


**58. Beaches**

**Rating: K**

**Author: rogueandkurt**

**Fandom: Criminal Minds**

Sorry again for the long wait. I was supposed to be posting the next installment of the 'Reid-on-drugs' series, but since Gideon's giving me a lot of trouble I decided to put this one up instead, in honour of the snow storm that recently graced my locale.

This was written after a wonderful day on the beach this past summer, and is dedicated to everyone who, like me, is beginning to forget there was a time without snow on the ground...

**Disclaimer:** I've never owned it and I never will.

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Reid pulled himself away from the excited group of people, his eyes glancing back to his team as Gideon calmly explained how they'd tracked down the kidnapper and safely retrieved his latest victim. They wouldn't be flying back home for another couple of hours, and there was something Reid wanted to do before then. Something that he'd been wanting to do ever since they'd landed in Naples and he'd set eyes on the inviting yet secluded beach. 

He stumbled down the sandy hill, not caring how undignified he looked as he attempted to pull off his shoes and socks while walking. Reaching the water's edge, he swiftly rolled up his pant legs. A wave glided towards him, crashing on the shore and curling around his ankles. The water slowly drifted back into the bay from whence it came, dragging the sand with it to tickle Reid's feet. A small smile graced his lips as he listened to the peacefully hypnotic sound of the waves, his eyes watching their path as they grew and curled into themselves to meet the retreating water.

"Reid?"

Spencer turned to meet Emily's questioning eyes. The female profiler looked out of place on the calm beach, her usually well-ordered appearance blown about by the breeze, her high heels sinking into the sand in an uncomfortable-looking manner. Nevertheless, it seemed that her attention was entirely focused on him and not on their strange location.

"Hotch asked me to find you," she offered, in way of explanation. "You kind of disappeared back there."

Reid nodded, turning his eyes back to the water. "It's a really nice day. It seemed like a shame to spend the rest of it in a crowded police headquarters."

Her eyes took in his appearance for the first time, noting his rolled up pants and discarded shoes.

"What exactly are you doing?" She asked, a small frown of confusion settling on her features.

Spencer looked down at his feet.

"Sinking." He answered truthfully. When she gave no response he glanced at her again. "The waves come in and push the sand back. When they go out, they bring the sand with them and cover your feet until you slowly sink."

She blinked, her confusion still evident.

"Didn't you ever do this when you were little?" He inquired.

Prentiss shook her head. "My mother wasn't exactly a 'beach person'."

Reid smiled slightly.

"My parent's weren't really into beaches either," he confided, uncertain why he was sharing this with her. "I only remember them taking me once. When I was six."

Prentiss also looked surprised by the admission. Things had been decidedly civil between them since he'd stopped using drugs. He'd apologized for his behavior, but there had been a sort of awkwardness present ever since. Unlike the others, he had no real previous relationship to fall back on with her, and neither of them was really sure what that left them with.

"I thought you grew up in Las Vegas."

She closed her mouth tightly, as if afraid she had pushed their casual conversation too far by engaging his past. After nearly seven months, she was still uncertain where the boundaries were with her teammates, most especially with Reid, with whom it seemed there was an ever-growing list of 'off-limit' topics. The basics of his past, while not exactly secret, were hardly spoken of at headquarters. She was fairly certain that, as a newer addition to the team, it was even less acceptable for her to discuss them.

Reid smiled, reassuring her that he was not offended by her commenting on his childhood.

"I did," he confirmed, watching another wave crash in front of him and reveling in the feeling of the sand giving way beneath his feet. "My parents drove me to California once. It's one of the few vacations with them I remember. We spent a whole day on the beach. They practically had to drag me from the water."

Spencer's eyes took on a far away gaze as he remembered it all. The waves had made the same rhythmic crashing noise as they collided with the sand, and he fondly recalled the giggle that had escaped his lips as a particularly large wave soaked the front of him, from his hair down to his bathing suit. Despite the fact that he was already smart enough to read and comprehend entire novels by this point, the part of him that was still a child found no end of amusement in the way the water caved in on itself, beating against the shore. He'd watched the water swirl around his ankles, pulling his feet deeper into the sand, until his mother had finally insisted he dry off.

At the time, it had merely seemed like a fun day for a six year old. But now, he could truly appreciate how lucky he was to have had it. It had all been so much simpler then - before his mother's psychotic break; before his parent's constant fighting; before his father abandoning them both. It had just been the three of them, together and happy.

Movement to his side shook Reid from his reverie. Prentiss had come to stand beside the still genius, and a quick glance behind him informed him that she had tossed her high heels next to his socks. The water crept around their ankles and a soft giggle escaped her lips as she, too, began to sink. Reid returned his gaze to the water with a satisfied smile. Together they stood, watching as another wave came crashing down.

_Fin._

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Like it? Hate it? Want to whack Prentiss on the head with a wooden spoon? Please let me know - take the time to review! I live for feedback and it might help my muse find its way home. Thanks in advance.

I'll try to get the next part of the series posted soon, but my life is so crazy I can barely breathe and my muse ran off with the dish and the spoon, so we'll see what happens.

Thank you for reading! Hang in there in these cold, Criminal Minds-free months! We'll make it through the strike, I know we will!

Keep Smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


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